There's a new
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS commercial for Japan. The ad introduces the game's Mii Fighter function—how you can create your own fighters for the game. To do so, customized Miis of Japanese pop group AKB48 appeared in the ad. Online in Japan, some were not happy about this.

Two members of idol group AKB48, Rina Kawaei and Anna Iriyama, were attacked at an event this weekend by a saw-brandishing man. Both sustained cuts on their hands and head, but are expected to recover from their injuries. The suspect, 24-year-old Satoru Umeta, was arrested for attempted murder. [Thanks Mox Factor!]

For several weeks after its release, every game store I went to was sold out of Square Enix's 3DS game, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy. The game has proved to be a hit in Japan, thanks in part, indirectly, according to producer Tomoya Asano, to Japan's biggest pop idol group, AKB48.

Last week, Japanese singer Minami Minegishi shaved her head after a tabloid photographed her leaving a boy band member's house. In the strict world of Japanese idols, dating boys is a no-no. Cover-ups, however, are totally fine.

Remember when Britney Spears cut off all her hair? That was disconcerting. This week, Minami Minegishi, a member of Japan's biggest girl group AKB48, appeared in a YouTube video, apologizing and crying. Her head was shaved. Likewise, disconcerting.

The Wii U is out in North America, but Japan will have to wait until December to get the new Nintendo console. To build hype, Nintendo is now running commercials for the hardware. But that's not the only game in town. There are entire channels filled to the brim with wonderful Japanese commercials. Some of them are…

Earlier this year, AKB48—Japan's biggest girl group—released a candy commercial that grossed out pretty much the entire country. This year, AKB48 is back with a new ad that won't gross everyone out. It'll freak them out instead. Progress!